Prior Information Notice for the Provision of Wheelchair Services for NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (ICB)

Description

NHS Midlands & Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit (ML) on behalf of the Commissioner, NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (SSOT ICB), invites providers to attend a 'Market Engagement Event' which will inform the market and guide the Commissioner's intentions for future procurement of Wheelchair Services. This advertisement is for market testing only, to gauge market interest and influence future commissioning and procurement direction. This advertisement is issued under the Provider Selection Regime (PSR) of the Healthcare Services Regulations 2023. The Commissioner is seeking Expressions of Interest (EoIs) to attend the market engagement event, from potential providers that are suitably qualified and experienced in delivering Wheelchair Services. Lot 1: NHS Midlands & Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit (ML) on behalf of the Commissioner, NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (SSOT ICB), invites providers to attend a 'Market Engagement Event' which will inform the market and guide the Commissioner's intentions for future procurement of Wheelchair Services. This advertisement is for market testing only, to gauge market interest and help influence future commissioning and procurement direction. This advertisement is issued under the Provider Selection Regime (PSR) of the Healthcare Services Regulations 2023. The Commissioner is seeking Expressions of Interest (EoIs) to attend the market engagement event, from potential providers that are suitably qualified and experienced in delivering Wheelchair Services. About the Procurement The aim of the Wheelchair Service is to maximise mobility and independence, and improve the quality of life for Service Users, their families and carers - through access to appropriate assessment, provision, and maintenance of wheelchairs and associated equipment. Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent have a combined population of approximately 1.2 million with demographic diversity represented across urban, rural, and semi-rural communities.   The provider shall deliver a high standard service experience for users, and support: Adults, young people and children with long-term mobility needs Complex neurological and musculoskeletal conditions Transitional care needs from paediatrics to adult services Data on service utilisation, referral patterns, and unmet need (e.g., from JSNAs, CHC panels) should inform ongoing service improvement The provider would: Provide equitable, timely access to appropriate wheelchair services for eligible children, young people and adults, openly communicate updates, issues and time frames to the referrer as well as the Service Users. Deliver a comprehensive, needs-based assessment, equipment provision and review process. Support independence, participation, and wellbeing through person-centred NHS equipment solutions. Promote sustainability and value for money through effective repair, maintenance, and reuse of NHS equipment. The current contracting arrangements are due to expire on 31st March 2026. The new contract is expected to start on 1st April 2026 and will initially run for 3 years. There is an option to extend the contract for up to an additional 2 years. The estimated value of the contract is approximately £2,730,000 per year with an annual NHS inflation uplift, less an efficiency reduction, applied from 2027/28 for the remaining duration of the contract . If the full 5-year term (including extensions) is used, the total contract value would be around £13,650,000. It is the Commissioner's intention, at this stage, that this service will be commissioned via a competitive process - which is proportionate to the value and complexity of the service and contract. The process would be conducted in line with the Provider Selection Regime (PSR) of the Healthcare Services Regulations 2023 and will be advertised to all providers in line with Transparency duties in due course. Please note that this information is indicative only. All factors may change up to the point of the formal procurement process and should not be relied upon as exact data at this stage. The Commissioner is not bound to comply with responses to this market testing and is also not bound to follow up with any procurement process. About the Market Engagement Event The Commissioner would value providers expert insights and feedback. The information provided and discussed, unless classified as confidential, may be used in the rationale for the final service model. The Commissioner is not bound to take on board providers' information that will result in the delivery of this service. The Market Engagement Event will take place on Thursday 11th September 2025 from 12.30pm to 2pm, virtually via Microsoft Teams. The intention for the Market Engagement presentation is for the Commissioner to outline and share with the market the proposal for the new service. This will be followed by a Question and Answers session. The Commissioner will take suitable notes of the discussions during the events to inform the commissioning of the future service and will circulate the presentation slides and collate a Q&A document based on questions raised during the event with the providers. The presentation slides and all Q&A's will be anonymised, and circulated as part of any future procurement process. If you are interested in attending this event, please register via Atamis (project C380748) with your Expression of Interest by no later than Tuesday 09th of September 2025 at 2pm. Please note that registration at this event does not count as registration for the full procurement process, which will be separately advertised via the Find a Tender website. Interested providers will need to respond to the full procurement process if/when advertised, whether they attend the Market Engagement Event or not, or any subsequent market engagement event the Commissioner may decide to run and should not rely on their response to this EoI. All information shared by providers is deemed to be non-confidential. How to Register with Atamis If you have not already registered with Atamis, you will need to click Register from the landing page and complete the required form. Register on the portal webpage https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome (registration and use of the website is free of charge). Once registered, to search for tendering opportunities that have been published by the buying organisation, click Find Opportunities. From the Find Opportunities page, click on the title of an opportunity. If the tendering project is at the stage where it is open for suppliers to express interest, you will be able to click Register Interest. For technical support in submitting your Expression of Interest or registering on the 'Atamis Electronic Sourcing system, please contact the Atamis helpdesk via email: support@atamis.co.uk. All communications from providers should come through the Atamis portal. Additional information: Transparency The contracting authority is subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR) and may be required to disclose information received in the course of this procurement under FOIA or the EIR. In addition, and in accordance with the UK Government's policies on transparency, the contracting authority intends to publish procurement documentation and the text of any resulting contractual arrangements, subject to possible redactions at the discretion of the contracting authority. Any redactions, whether in relation to information requests under FOIA, the EIR or policies on transparency will be in accordance with those grounds prescribed under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. Further information on transparency can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement- and-contracting-transparency-requirements-guidance